SNK doesn't drop the ball. They run with it back into their own endzone.
I have very fond memories of the original Card Fighter Clash on Neo Geo Pocket Color. Simple premise, story and engine, yes, but at its heart, a CCG with near-flawless mechanics. When I had caught wind of an update, my excitement was boundless. Updated graphics? New cards? WIFI?! Sign me up yesterday!
...and then I actually bought it.
Immediately, before even opening it, I had noticed the 'Nintendo WiFi' logo conspicuously absent. Well, that certainly took much of my enthusiasm away. Ah well, at least I can get back to good ol' card battlin'.
Hmmm.. the old free-roaming explorative RPG style has been replaced with a rather linear 'waypoint' movement system. Hmm.. well, I guess by limitting content, they can focus on the card play, right? Hm.. what's this? My playspace has been increased from 3 slots to 8? Hmm.. that kinda cripples some.. well.. a lot of the old strategies.. oh well, in with the new, I suppose. Say.... is that.. is that.. costs to place cards in play? This... this isn't Card Fighters! This is 90% of every other lame CCG in existance! What have they done!?
All SNK had to do was take the original and add WiFi, at most, updating the graphics and adding/touching up a few cards, and they would've had an instant hit.
What SNK has done with this game.. this franchise.. is the equivalent of someone being told "all you have to do to win a million dollars.. is sit in this chair" and that person somehow ends up robbing a bank instead.